Delivery discounts stable in 2017

The Federal Council has approved the discounts for the delivery of subscribed newspapers and magazines in Swiss Post's daily delivery service. They are based on the results of the self-declarations of publishers and editors requested annually by the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM). In these, they state whether they continue to meet the requirements for receiving the delivery discount. The eligible newspapers and magazines can be found on OFCOM's website.

Discount for regional and local press remains the same

As of October 1, 2016, 142 titles in the regional and local press met the requirements for receiving indirect press subsidies. The number of eligible titles thus remains the same as in the previous year. However, the volume of mailings increased by 0.7 million copies. This is because two medium-sized daily newspapers became eligible in the course of 2016, which have larger circulations than the titles that were eliminated.

The federal government supports the regional and local press with an annual contribution of CHF 30 million. In addition, the amount not paid out in 2015 is added as part of the compensation for differences. Using the available subsidy amount and the actual dispatch volume of the previous year, the reduction calculation is made. For 2017, the reduction is set at 25 centimes per copy and thus remains the same as in 2016.

Higher discount on membership and foundation presses

In the case of the membership and foundation press, a total of 1,046 newspapers and magazines met the requirements to benefit from indirect press subsidies as of October 1, 2016. This is 20 titles fewer than in the previous year. The annual mailing volume falls to 130 million copies (-3.3 million). Reasons for the decline include fewer subscribers, lower publication frequency or discontinuation of the title.

The federal government supports the membership and foundation press with 20 million Swiss francs annually. The calculation for the membership and foundation press results in a reduction of 16 centimes per copy for 2017. It is therefore one centime higher than in 2016.

Difference compensation

Since the effective mailing quantities of the titles supported are not known in advance, the annual reductions per copy are calculated on the basis of the previous year's quantities. Accordingly, Swiss Post incurs additional or reduced expenses each year, depending on how much the actual mailing quantities deviate from the previous year's quantities. In this case, the Postal Ordinance provides for compensation of the differences.

Due to the continuing trend of declining circulation figures, the legally stipulated subsidies in both categories were not fully utilized in 2015. The amount not paid out has now been taken into account in the calculation of the 2017 reductions and added to the CHF 30 and 20 million respectively.